Characterization of the Structure of Rice and Wheat Straw Pretreated with Trichoderma sp. AH

Trichoderma sp. AH pretreatment (PT) enhances the conversion and selectivity of RS and WS in supercritical methanolysis. In this work, we investigated how Trichoderma sp. AH-containing PT affected the structure of wheat straw (WS) and rice straw (RS). The enhanced straw supercritical methanolysis was mostly ascribed to structural changes in RS and WS during PT based on thorough investigations by thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The TG/DTG study revealed that PT could only partially degrade RS and WS without significantly changing the makeup of their group. PT is effective at breaking the structure because XRD research showed that it could only somewhat alter the crystal structure of RS and WS, decreasing their crystallinity. The primary way that PT affects RS and WS is by the decrystallization of cellulose and hemicelluloses into an amorphous material. The comparative concentrations of certain molecules are altered by PT, according to XPS examination of these compounds. PT is an efficient biomass liquefaction preparation that minimizes carbohydrate loss by disrupting the structure of the biomass.